Nordic Countries Love American Sports

Sweden is a country that for a long time now have been influenced by the American culture in more ways than anyone can imagine. From Levi’s jeans back in the day to milkshakes, coca cola, American tv-shows and Hollywood Movies.

Today, with the digital landscape we live in, Swedes are even more obsessed than before. The younger generation Snaps and Instagram everything they do – from pre-gaming with Beer Pong and Flip Cup to local sports events and hiking tours.

All the trends in fashion, sport, tv – basically everything – reaches Sweden from America so much faster than before. I mean, Sweden may have been influenced by the US before but today the level of influence is insane.

American sports in the Nordic Regions is growing a lot more in popularity. Ice Hockey has always been extremely popular and the Swedish National Team “Tre Kronor” are always fighting for the gold medal in The World Cup and The Olympic Games.

The NHL is filled with Swedish players. A lot of them are even captains and superstars in the best teams. 6 players from Sweden got picked for the annual All-star game including the world’s best defender Erik Karlsson and the keeper from New York Rangers, Henrik Lundqvist.

Apart from Ice Hockey other American sports such as American Football and Basketball are increasing in both active performers and audience members at the stadiums.

Most Swedes now have their “own” team in the NFL supporting Tom Brady and The New England Patriots, Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers and a lot of other teams that Swedes now feel belongs to them.

The same goes with basketball. Lebron James and other successful players are hot topics in the coffee rooms in Swedish work places, on school break, and at local gathering with friends.

Apart from playing and watching sports, the Swedes love to bet on sports. There is a lot of bookies or bettingsidor, as they say in Sweden. The people from Sweden and other Nordic countries love to bet almost as much on American sports as they bet at the local level.

The only thing Swedish people don’t like with American sports is all the advertising commercials. Swedish people feel strongly about commercials in general. The major tv network in the country received harsh criticism if they add too many commercials into the breaks. This is why some Swedes find the evolution from first watch into an actual AFL fan quite difficult. The Swedish aresceptical having to watch more commercials than an actual sport and we can’t really blame them for that.

The future will tell if the Swedes will be more Americanized but if the trend keeps going as it has for the last 50 years, Sweden might soon start with having a president and commercialize everything there is in the world of sport.Until then they must keep watching Americans sports and complain to each other about that damn commercial that are always on. But it’s worth it cause Nordic Countries loves American sports.